Church Urged To Do More For Women In Leadership

By GUSTAV NIEBUHR

Published: October 14, 1998

A committee of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops declared yesterday that the church authorities ought to do more to promote qualified women to positions of lay leadership in the church, thereby increasing the ranks of those who serve in such jobs as hospital administrators, school superintendents and even chancellors of dioceses.

In a statement written by the bishops' Committee on Women in Society and in the Church, the committee says, ''We emphasize the need to appoint women to positions that entail substantive responsibility and influence, so that the church may reap the full benefit of their talents.''

The statement, titled ''From Words to Deeds,'' also called for a greater appreciation of women's leadership abilities and asked for a spirit of collaboration between men and women in the church. But it did not challenge or even discuss the church's position that the priesthood is restricted to men.

Instead, by noting those offices that may be held by lay people within the code of canon law, the statement effectively described church leadership as something that extended beyond those who were ordained.

''We assume that all roles in the church are open to women, unless stated otherwise by canon law,'' the statement says.

That distinction is crucial, especially as Pope John Paul II has said the restriction of the priesthood to men is definitive and closed to discussion. As if to add a new emphasis to his words, another bishops' committee made public a separate document yesterday, intended, it says, ''to assist the faithful in their acceptance of what the church teaches'' about the priesthood.

That document, written by the Committee on Doctrine and titled ''Ten Frequently Asked Questions About the Reservation of Priestly Ordination to Men,'' says the male priesthood is a fundamental element of the faith, received directly from Jesus, who called only men as his apostles. ''The basis for this teaching is the authority of Christ himself,'' the document states.

A spokesman for the bishops' conference said it was a coincidence that the two documents were made public on the same day.

The statement on women, said Auxiliary Bishop John C. Dunne, chairman of the committee that wrote it, ''is saying to the church, to all of us, 'Let's be open to what women can be.' ''

Before writing its statement, the committee spent two years meeting with lay people and priests from around the country, said Bishop Dunne, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Center on Long Island. The statement reflects those conversations, saying the committee recognized that any discussion of women's roles in the church ''can evoke strong emotions.''

''We have heard women speak of their satisfaction when ordained leaders recognize their gifts and skills and use them to serve the church's mission,'' the statement said. ''We have also heard women speak of their hurt and pain when ordained leaders reject or do not fully use these gifts.''

To promote the appreciation of women's talents and to speed their appointment to church jobs, the statement offers a number of suggestions. It also contains, in its conclusion, a ''fundamental recommendation'' that all Catholics examine their words and actions to see whether these ''promote progress on women's roles in the church.'' And it warns against ''harsh rhetoric,'' arrogance and an unwillingness to listen.

The statement, which is advisory rather than binding on dioceses, was written to follow up a pastoral message on the role of women in the church issued by the bishops' conference in 1994. It also comes at a time when many dioceses are confronted by a growing shortage of priests, so that fewer ordained men are available for jobs outside the local parish.

Bishop Dunne said he hoped the statement would encourage other bishops to do more than place a small number of women in leadership positions. ''Where people have the talents or have the experience, they ought to have the positions, too,'' he said.

Ruth Wallace, a professor of sociology at George Washington University who has written about women who have been appointed to administer parishes, praised the committee's statement.

''My overall impression is that this is the result of these bishops taking seriously the gifts of women to enhance the work of the church,'' Professor Wallace said. ''I think the women who are heading parishes around the country are going to think they have been applauded.''